Utility lamps of the general variety with which we are concerned here have been available for many years. Such lamps usually include a handle containing a lamp socket and switch and some kind of cage for protectively enclosing the lamp bulb screwed into the socket. A long electrical cord has one end extending through the handle and connected to the socket while its other end is terminated by a standard male electrical plug. To use the utility lamp, the worker inserts the electrical plug into an electrical outlet and positions the lamp in a suitable location at the work site. A hook, clip or other such fastener is often mounted to the lamp to enable the lamp to be suspended from or anchored to a suitable support at the site.
While prior lamps of this variety perform their illuminating function quite satisfactorily, they do have certain drawbacks. For example, some prior utility lamps have protective bulb cages which simply engage over the bulb and are separate from the handle. Accordingly, the cage does not adequately protect the bulb. Also when a bulb burns out and has to be replaced, the cage must be separated from the handle. Resultantly, sometimes the cage becomes lost so that the worker is forced to use the utility lamp with a completely unprotected and unshielded bulb which is a dangerous practice.
Some conventional lamps, while having an integral handle and cage construction, fabricate the cage out of metal making the overall appliance relatively expensive. Also, the cage is electrically conductive so that, when the worker is engaged in electrical repairs, the lamp cage can provide a conductive path from a "hot" conductor to ground or to the worker and therefore can cause short circuits and shocks.
Prior lamps of this type are also inconvenient to use. This is because the lamp cord often becomes twisted, tangled and knotted requiring the worker to take the time to straighten out the cord before he can use the lamp. The main reason for this is that usually no provision is made for storing the lamp cord. The cord is simply coiled up by hand or wound around the lamp handle, neither of which is a very effective procedure for maintaining a cord in a tangle-free condition. There are some prior lamps that have tried to overcome this problem by storing the cord on an integral spring-loaded reel. However, such appliances are quite expensive. Furthermore, they are quite bulky and unwieldly so that it is difficult to work in close quarters with them.